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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

While cross stitch is my #1 love (in terms of crafting), crocheting runs a pretty close second. Depends on my mood. And the weather. (Colder weather and cozy yarn just seem to go together). Sometimes it's just good to mix things up and put the stitching aside for a bit.

While perusing the Ravelry site a while back, I came across this scarf pattern that I really liked. After reading through the instructions, I thought, "I think I can follow this one", and printed it off. Well, a couple of days ago the mood struck, and the air was chilly, so I was good to go! I just happened to have the perfect yarn to use for this too... a ball that I found the day Bonnie and I had our shopping adventure. It was in the clearance section for $1.90 at Hobby Lobby marked down from $5.29!!

Even though it is considered a yarn for baby items, I found the colour and the coziness of it the perfect combination for a new scarf. As I started crocheting, I found that the pattern was extremely easy and worked up very fast which is a bonus indeed... especially since I'm sure my fingers will soon be itching to pick up that little needle again...

Saturday, November 12, 2011

My Mom and I went to the thrift store Value Village that day ... she headed to the clothes, I headed to the framed pictures and I am so glad I did!

For a grand total of just $31.56 I came home with all of these-

Now usually I am checking for frames I can re-use for my cross stitch pieces, but this time around I got a few that I will use as is in my home .

The first one I spotted was this beauty (and only $7.99!) released in 1983 by the talented Trisha Romance called "Home Again" . Who doesn't dream of having a home like this in the country in the wintertime ... lighting a fire, a pot of soup simmering on the stove and sitting down to stitch with your cup of tea while the snow gently falls outside... Such serenity!

The next one that went into my cart (for $4.99) was this pretty print of the waterfront in Toronto with the famous CN Tower in the background. When I originally saw this one, I wanted it for just the frame but at closer inspection I really liked the picture too. Perhaps it will find a new home with my daughter and son-in-law who live in Toronto?? :^)

The square frame on this next picture is what I first noticed ($5.99). Square frames seem hard to find. When I looked at the back of this one there was info about the artist Kathy Rath (who was born in the city of Sarnia not far from here). This picture is called "Loughead House" which I tried to find information about without much luck.

I'm really torn with this next one. Being a stitcher, I know the time and love we put into each piece we stitch, so it made me feel sad to see someone's needlepoint piece sitting on the shelf. I would probably re-use the frame on this one since needlepoint isn't really my taste. If there's someone out there that would be happy to give the needlepoint part of this picture a new home, send me an email!

The last three pictures I bought have quite old frames, so I was very drawn to them. They will definitely be re-used with stitched pieces of my own.

Friday, November 11, 2011

I am fortunate enough to have the day off today and I decided to take advantage of my long weekend and travel to Burlington to spend the weekend at my daughter's. Unfortunately for them, they had to work today, but fortunately for Libby - because I'm here, she doesn't have to spend the day alone.

After Niki and Shawn left for work, I decided I would vacuum through the house before I began my planned day of baking cookies, whipping up some shepherd's pie and spending the afternoon cross stitching. After the vacuuming was complete and I had worked up a sweat I decided to have a nice hot shower before I got started in the kitchen.

After my shower and my daily beautification process, I felt great. I had a good night's sleep, accomplished a great deal in the early morning, cleaned up and ready to begin when - oh - oh, I was quickly reminded of what it's like to have a puppy in the house!!

I guess when I opened the closet door to vacuum inside -
I didn't shut it tight enough.

Oh, Libby .... what did you do?

Is she hanging her head in shame?
Is she trying to scoop up the pieces to help me?
Or is she simply ignoring me and thinking... hmm this piece looks good to chew?

Oh Libby, it's a good thing you're cute!

So off to the kitchen we went while I played "Let's cook and bake" and Libby played "Let's Lay Under Bonnie's Feet". Like I said, it's a good thing she's cute!

Oh yes... and I forgot to mention - twice this morning I caught her chewing on my toothbrush that she got out of my overnight bag that I had left on the spare bed. Oh Libby ! Bonnie

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

For quite some time now, I've been looking for a website to help me with a cross stitch computer program that I can safely download or perhaps purchase. So far - it's been a frustrating, exhausting and unsuccessful search and tonight it suddenly dawns on me - POST IT ON THE BLOG BONNIE!! Surely to goodness one of you crafty ladies out there has something to share !!!

There are tons of sites out there to upload a photo and create your own pattern. I discovered this some time ago and once Tracey and I got the hang of it, we were able to create our own patterns from a photo. Our favourite thus far is Pic2Pat (Picture to Pattern).

However, what I am looking for is different. I have lost a CD that I once had - that was similar to an Excel program. You could set your grids to your material count size and you simply choose a colour from the tool bar and each time you click one of the squares with the mouse it changes to that colour and you can create your own designs. Something I've been itching to do for quite some time now. I usually end up just creating something on a grid sheet with a pencil. I can't for the life of me remember what this program was called, but I wish I could find it.

Does anyone out there know what I'm talking about, or can anyone offer any suggestions where to look? Looking forward to hearing from you...

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

I originally intended this post being just about a new "scissor holder" I found at a thrift store a couple of weeks ago. I'm sure this isn't what this item was originally used for...guesses anyone??

I have two other typical clear glass flower frogs, but some of my scissors were too wide to fit in them properly. When I saw this sitting on the shelf in the store, I thought it might just do the trick for those scissors plus at this price I couldn't pass it by!

I decided to take a picture of all 3 frogs just for the fun of it...

Bad idea... CRASH!!!!! - as I was moving my ORT jar back to it's original location I bumped it and down to the floor it fell breaking into pieces!!!

Looks like I will be searching for a new ORT jar the next time I go shopping :^( Good thing I have a bit of time before the next new moon when it's time to post for the TUSAL again.

Speaking of the moon, isn't it a full moon in the next couple of days? Maybe I'll use that as the excuse for breaking the ORT jar (instead of my usual clumsiness)...

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Do you love shopping for purses, scarves and necklaces as much as I do? You don't have to take your clothes off to try on a scarf and you don't get 'static hair' when you try out a purse. Finding that 'oh-so-right' necklace that matches your favourite outfit brings such a feeling of accomplishment! The reason I love these accessories so much is because they always FIT!!

Pear-shaped women, such as myself, would rather stick needles in their eyes than shop for pants. For me - Nothing can spoil a mood faster than trying on pants. I'm either in tears or ready to go postal on someone. (Now for anyone asking themselves..."I wonder if she is eating chips as she's writing this", the answer is NO. ....I already finished them...and I'm onto the chocolate now.)

Just teasing.

Everyone knows you eat the chocolate with the chips!

Let's get back to the necklaces and scarves. Besides the fact that they are wonderful accessories, they are especially helpful to the pear-shaped woman. Why? Because it draws the onlookers eyes UP and away from the hip area. Needless to say, I have many scarves and necklaces. The problem is... How to Organize them ALL.

Once - on one of my trips to IKEA, I discovered a scarf holder that has 7 rows of circles to hold the scarves. Perfect for those types of scarves that don't matter if they wrinkle. However, most of mine look better without the wrinkles (just like my face) so I opted to look for something else. Recently, I found some velvet covered hangers at the dollar store that have multiple rungs - these work out perfect for my freshly pressed scarves and Pashminas (confession: I DO love to iron.) Added advantage - they don't slide off the hanger. Today... while purging my closet and unable to part with my many scarves - I discovered that I DO need the IKEA scarf holder after all. Good thing I'm making a trip to IKEA this weekend !! Start the car... start the car !!!!

As for my necklaces, they were either tossed into and tangled up in a basket; OR hung up with - and tangled amongst the car keys on the key holder. But, alas, I finally found something to organize my necklaces to keep them from tangling. I noticed at my friend Joanne's house that she had a necklace or two dangling from a wall hanging that was hanging above her vanity. So I searched for something 'just right' to hang on the wall and keep the necklaces separate from one another. Voila.

I love it. It's on the wall at the top of the stairs just outside my bedroom. Handy for me as I'm walking out of my room to start my day, and yet decorative enough to catch your eye. My niece came for a visit one day this summer and it caught her eye immediately, and as she was walking by she decided to accessorize herself. She loved this idea and said she was going to do the same thing at home.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

... but my Halloween stitching is not! Looks like I will have a couple of new pieces to display for the holiday next year, since I didn't get them finished last month.

I bought this pattern last year when I fell in love with it at first sight! As you can see, it has all the elements of that perfect Halloween picture... along with a witch stitching too... what fun!!

"Witches Stitch Too!!" by Homespun Elegance

I found this frame on one of my recent visits to Goodwill and I think it will be just the right fit for this piece when it's done. Might have to change the colour of it though... what do you think? Surely couldn't leave it there for $3.99! (actually it only cost me $2.00... 50% off and no tax!!)

My sweet hubby saw it and thought I bought it because I wanted the whole picture. When I explained to him how much I can save by framing some things myself, he now understands and will probably be on the lookout for used frames in his travels! :^)

So with Halloween over and everything packed away, my fireplace mantel looked pretty sad. Yesterday I moved some of my autumn decor around and added a few new items too; the metal pumpkin I bought for $12.00 on the day of my shopping adventure with Bonnie, the cute little wooden HOME plaque which was a birthday gift from Jody, and the darling owl garland I just bought on clearance at the grocery store for $2.97!!

There now- I'm content to relax a bit and leave things the way they are until it's time to decorate for that BIG holiday in December...

Friday, November 4, 2011

You wouldn't think that changing the sheets on the bed would be that noisy, but for some reason it seems to attract Sushi quicker than hearing the can opener. She loves to get under the sheets as I'm making the bed and she lays on her back with all fours in the air. Then I take my fingers and I tickle the bed sheets and she chases my hand. I'm not sure which one of us is more amused by this. This day, I decided to catch her in her hi-jinx and I slipped the camera under the sheets to capture her in action.

This cat amuses me more than my cable network !!
I should just cancel the cable and save myself some money. Bonnie

Contributors

About Us

Hello and welcome! We're Jody, Tracey, Bonnie and Anita, and we're so glad you stopped by our blog for a visit!

Our love of stitching is what brought our group together 20 years ago, but what we truly cherish is the amazing friendship that the 4 of us share; a bond which continues to grow stronger as the years go by.

As you read our blog, you will see it has a little bit of everything - hence the name, More Than Just Cross Stitchin'. We hope you'll come back again soon!

Charlie Brown

Growing up, I had a pet monkey named Charlie Brown. Actually, he belonged to my sister and he came to live with us in 1966. You were actually allowed to have monkeys as pets then and if you can beleive it, he was ordered from an ad in the back of a magazine. Charlie Brown was a squirrel monkey (just like the ones in the Telus commericials).

Everyone in school loved when it was my turn for 'show and tell'. You will see in some of the photos (if the slide show downloads for me...) that he used to wear diapers. Eventually, he learned how to take them off. We had a rope strung across the kitchen from end to the other. We kept a piece of papertowel on the floor at the end of one rope and that's where he did his business. His rope provided many hours of entertainment. At bedtime, if mom and dad were not home when it was bedtime, he would sit on his roap and cry out until they returned.

If I was crying, Dad would put him up to my face to lick away my tears. He would dangle from my hair and lick from one eye to the next. It alwyays made me stop crying. He would play outside and every once in awhile he would swing from tree to tree and end up down the street at the neighbours.

Often you would find the monkey lying in the cast iron pan on the stove. The pilot light from the gas stove provided him a warm and comfy spot. He would also sit on top of the lamp shade for warmth, and if you ever heard a 'pop' - you knew he peed on the lightbulb. It happens...

Charlie Brown used to sit on the wall phone.... until it rang. That was always funny. He brought many years of amusement to us all and I miss him and his antics.

Bonnie

Welcome to Jody's

It's a Dishcloth!

No... It's 2 Perfect Ones!

Anita's Chicken

Anita created this from looking at a picture from a magazine. No pattern. THAT girl !!!

Tracey working away with her crochet hooks she bought when she was in Grade 7 along with a beginner book. Her determination to learn by herself at such a young age is admiring.

Here is one of Tracey's projects on the go.

Anita's handy work

Warm toes

Warm hearts ... and warm toes!

Well since we are talking winter, let's talk about warm hearts ... and warm toes.

A few years ago at Christmas we had a gift exchange. Ironically, both Anita and myself had the exact same idea for a present. We always open our gift bags at the same time, and it was really hard for me to keep a straight face when I saw that Anita had had the same gift idea as me and while she explained that she thought slippers would be a good idea, that way we could carry them in our bag with us at all times. Anita had knit slipppers for everyone and made a little draw-string pouch, with our names embroidered on it, to keep the socks in.

Then they all opened my gift bag and we burst out laughing. I knew how much everyone loved snowmen, so I had stitched faces on white slippers and added a carrot button for the nose. Well we weren't finished with the laughter because I thought we should get a picture with our slippers on. So then we were all sitting on the floor trying to get different positions in order to get everyone in the picture at the same time. We tried sitting up against the wall and taking the picture of our toes all pointing up to the ceiling and then I said, nooooo - that will show the snowman's face upside down. Someone said... (and I won't say who...) "Good point, let's think of something else. What if we lay on our back with our feet in the air - you know... like if our feet were ON the ceiling"

Well then the faces would still be upside down wouldn't they. Spontanious Laughter.

We had to think of something else. It was decided that we would just stand toe to toe in a huddle and we would take the picture from above in order to get everyone in the picture. Sounded like a good plan right?

Well... not if you have a protruding belly and/or big boobs. After the inital light-headedness subsided from sucking in our bellies, we had to deal with the shadow from the boobs.

So we stood in our huddle, adjusting, wiggling and laughing with our arms around each other while we tried not to tip over. It was about that moment when Anita's daughter walked in on us, which of course added to the laughter when we saw the look on her face.

Finally the photo was taken and our toes are doubly warm.

Bonnie

Where Does the Time Go?

Heatwave July 21, 2011

Anita's Lucky Charm

Winter Storm December 12, 2010

The storm didn't stop this Bloomin' Rose

Happy Birthday Dad

Dad was born on Armistice Day - November 11, 1918. Shown here with his favourite show off 'Charlie Brown' the monkey.

The Feathered Nest

Quite some time ago when I was perusing the Dollarama, I came across the cutest autumn tea towel with a teddy bear dressed up like a scarecrow. It immediately reminded me of Jody and I thought 'I'm going to get that for her', and then I thought... why not get one for everybody? And so I did and it was a hit.

From that point on, it's no surprise to any of us if there just happens to be an occasional 'mini gift' exchange on Cross Stitch night. Once when Jody hosted in February, she gave us all a tiny picture frame with a 1" x 1" opening. I had no idea what to do with mine, but Tracey knew immediately. Because it was Valentines day, Tracey stitched a heart.

Mine sat for a good number of months before I could figure out what I could stitch in such a tiny area and not copy Tracey's idea. And then one day it hit me; Jody loves snowmen. I would do a snowman in the frame that Jody gave me. But.... do they make snowman patterns for less than 1" x 1"? I couldn't be bothered looking, so I winged it. And voila! A happy smiley snowman face. I think it took longer to write this posting than it did to stitch that happy face.

We'll have to get a picture of Tracey's heart posted after her renovations are complete as I expect it's packed away for now.